Nearly every day for two weeks, at least one sizable pork-processing plant shut down after the new coronavirus ripped through its workforce.
By the end of last week, plants that process about 25% of U.S. pork were closed.
Hog farmers raise pigs for nine to 10 months before sending them to market. Most schedule the growth of their hogs so they can send some at least weekly, sometimes more often.
From leaving a farm to arriving at a grocery store, the processing of a pig and distribution of resulting products takes two to three weeks. That means consumers in early May should see effects of the mid-April plant closings. Prices could rise and varieties and quantities of pork products could fall.
Steve Meyer, an economist at Kerns & Associates in Ames, Iowa, and a pork-industry specialist, said farm economics have never been so distorted.
In an interview, he explained why the situation is worse in hogs than other livestock, and why hog farmers may be forced to kill animals rather than send them to market.
Some interview excerpts:
Q: How quickly do the plant closings affect the rest of the pork industry?